Helpless
by Potat0S
Summary: Alex starts to seriously think about the future, but James is a step ahead of her.
_**So, I was bored on a train journey and listening to**_ **Hamilton _, and the idea for this came to me :)_**

* * *

"I'm just saying, if you really love me, you would share him."

"Harold Osborn, you are incorrigible," Alex laughed, elbowing her best friend in the ribs as they walked.

"Hey, I'm not joking," Harry replied, pretending to look serious for a moment. But he couldn't hold the act for very long, and he started laughing. "Alex, the guy is gorgeous. I mean, he might be the best looking guy that I have ever seen. Add the fact that he's smart, sweet, and funny, and he's the whole package."

Alex was giggled herself. "Or, he would be, if he wasn't mine," she retorted with a smirk, linking her arm through Harry's. "But he is mine, and I have no plans to let him go for… well, for ever, really. Even if you have been trying to steal him since I met him."

Harry looked down at Alex, smiling fondly at her. "Wow, you're in real deep here, aren't you?" he chuckled.

"I mean, we've been together for over two years now, I think 'in real deep' is a bit of an understatement, as you well know," Alex said with a smitten smile. "I love him, Harry. Like, I don't think I could live without him." She knew that she'd told Harry all of this before, several times in fact, but Alex couldn't help it. "And not in 'I'm totally dependent on him' way. Just… I can't imagine life without him."

"I know. I mean, anyone could see it each time you guys look at each other. It's pathetic, really," Harry teased with a grin. He ducked out of the way before Alex could elbow him again. "Seriously, though, you guys are perfect. You're an annoyingly perfect reminder of how good relationships should be."

They kept walking along the street, ducking around the pedestrians and tourists. "So, you can't imagine life without him, huh?" Harry asked after a while.

"I know that it probably sounds lame," Alex replied, "But no, I can't."

A little grin formed on Harry's face. "So… what? Are you going to marry him?"

Alex blushed bright pink, unable to keep the smile off her face. "Well, I… I hope so. I've been dropping little hints, but I don't know if he's picking up on them. I've even thought about proposing to him myself, but things can be so busy and complicated sometimes, because of work and stuff."

Alex hadn't told Harry that James was Captain America, of course. She had told him that her boyfriend was a SHIELD agent and, while completely untrue, it wasn't a million miles away from the truth.

"You should ask him," Harry said with an encouraging nudge. "James is as crazy about you as you are about him. You should propose to him, screw tradition."

Alex laughed gently. "Well, maybe. If I can get my nerve up, then yeah, maybe I will ask him to marry me."

There was a short silence, and then Alex gave a little squeal of excitement. "Oh my God, I can't believe I'm thinking of proposing to James!"

Harry was laughing again, and he looped his arm around Alex's shoulders, giving her a little squeeze. "Yeah, I remember when we were two kids crying about not getting a date to the dance in middle school, and now here we are. You're getting engaged."

"And you have three ex-wives," Alex pointed out, but her tone was still light and teasing.

"Something which I am very aware of," Harry snorted. "As is my bank account."

Alex just rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, because the millions of dollars in your trust fund really can't handle losing a few hundred every year."

"Alright, alright, fair enough," Harry chuckled. "You can have that one. Hey, do me favour?"

Alex looked up at him. "Of course, anything."

"Hold onto James." Harry's tone was suddenly a lot more serious. "Because you guys are meant to be. You're not like me, you're not rushing into this, you're not being stupid like I was. And you shouldn't have to end up without anyone. So… Yeah. Hold onto him."

* * *

James was a lot later home than Alex was. Which didn't matter, Alex was used to that. But she nearly ran at him when she heard him walk through the door. Smiling happily, Alex didn't even let James speak before she had kissed him, her arms winding around his neck.

A little surprised by the amorous welcome, James slid his arms around Alex's waist and kissed her back, laughing a little. "Hey, you," he smiled, resting his forehead against hers after breaking the kiss. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Alex smiled, pecking his lips again. "Just missed you, that's all."

James laughed. "Missed me? Am I later than normal, or somethin'?"

"No, I don't think so. What, am I not allowed to miss you?"

"If this is the welcome I'll get if you've missed me," James smirked, kissing her again, "Then you are definitely allowed to miss me." He picked her up, carrying her over to the couch, and sitting down with her next to him. With his metal arm still around her waist, James used his free hand to smooth away a few strands of hair that had fallen over Alex's face.

Alex smiled, leaning into James' touch, almost nuzzling his fingers as she happily tucked herself into his side.

James laughed again. "You're very cuddly tonight," he pointed out, looking fondly down at her.

"I don't know why," Alex lied with another smile, resting her head on James' shoulder. "So, how was work? Catch any bad guys today?"

"Actually, it was pretty uneventful," James replied, slipping out from next to her and heading for the bedroom, pulling his uniform shirt off as he walked inside. "Nothing more than a couple of bank robbers, and I only came across them by chance," he called from the bedroom, his voice slightly muffled as he changed.

"I would have thought that a handful of bank robbers would be far too small fry for Captain America," Alex teased as James walked backed in.

"Well, I've got to do something to pass the time," James laughed, coming back in dressed in a simple grey shirt and jeans, his right hand casually in his pocket. He walked back over to the couch and sat next to Alex again, slipping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap.

Smiling, Alex tucked her head into the crook of James' neck, and she pressed a quick kiss to his jaw.

"You okay?" James asked after a moment. "How was your day?"

Alex sat up slightly so that she could look at James as she spoke. "It was good. I met Harry for coffee after work. He tried to convince me to share you again," she added as a joke.

"And did you relent?" James chuckled, nuzzling her gently.

"Nope," Alex giggled. "You're my guy. I told him, and I'll tell you, I'm not letting you go. Not ever."

The smile on James' face softened, and he pressed a little kiss to her lips. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

There was a comfortable silence for a while, and James gazed dotingly down at Alex, his brown eyes sweeping over the soft features of the woman he loved.

"Hey, baby doll?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

Alex blinked at James, trying to work out if she had heard him right. "… What?"

James chuckled again, lifting Alex so that she was stood up. "Yeah, I need to do this properly," he grinned excitedly, getting down on one knee before her. "Alex, I could say a hundred things about how happy you've made me, about how much I love you." He reached into his right pocket, and pulled out a little blue box. "But, it's easier to just say that I do love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I will spend every second trying to make you happy."

He popped open the box, revealing a simple white gold ring with a single ruby set in the centre of a raised pattern. "So, Alex, will you marry me?"

Tears had filled Alex's eyes, and she was already nodding before James had finished speaking. "Yes, James, yes!" she cried, unable to stop smiling. "Yes, I'll marry you!"

James was near tears himself, and he stood up, slipping the ring onto Alex's finger, before picking her up and twirling her around, smiling ecstatically. "I love you," he grinned, kissing her deeply. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Alex smiled, her arms around James' neck. "Oh my God, I can't believe we're getting married!"

James was still holding Alex off the floor, and he kissed her again. They stayed like that for a while, just holding each other and kissing.

But, eventually, James sat Alex back down on the floor, their arms still around each other, their eyes locked.

"You want to know something?" Alex asked with a little giggle. "When I was talking to Harry earlier, I was thinking about proposing to you. You beat me to it."

"Really?" James laughed. "Did I steal your thunder? If it makes you feel any better, I've actually been wanting to ask for for about three weeks now. I've had the ring for a fortnight. I was waiting for the right moment."

Alex giggled again, leaning up to press another kiss to James' lips. "This moment was perfect," she promised him. "Everything is perfect. I love you so much."

"I love you too. And yeah, you're right. Everything's perfect."


End file.
